# Count the free shipping threshold before or after discounts on Shopify

To count your free shipping threshold before discounts, use the condition **Cart subtotal**. To count it after discounts, use **Cart total**. Shopify's own free shipping discount checks its minimum purchase after any discounts it combines with, and there's no setting to change that. Shopify's [free shipping discount guide](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-types/free-shipping) says products count at their discounted price once a combinable discount has lowered them, so a 20% code can push a customer under your threshold. [RM: Advanced Free Shipping](https://apps.shopify.com/better-free-shipping) lets you pick either one per discount. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days, with a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify.

## What the customer gets

In this example, shipping is free over $100. Standard costs $8.90. A customer has $110 of items in the cart and uses a 20% off code, so the items now cost $88.

**With Cart subtotal Is at least 100 (before discounts):**

- The app counts $110. The cart qualifies.
- The customer pays $88 for the items and $0 for Standard. Total: $88.

**With Cart total Is at least 100 (after discounts):**

- The app counts $88. The cart doesn't qualify.
- The customer pays $88 + $8.90 = $96.90.

**A $130 cart with the same 20% code:**

- After the code, the items cost $104. Both conditions pass, and the customer pays $104.

![A Cart subtotal condition set to Is at least $100, with an Add condition button below it](/images/cart-subtotal.png)

## Which one to choose

- **Cart subtotal** if a discount code should never cost the customer free shipping. This is kinder to shoppers and keeps your threshold message simple: "Free shipping on $100+".
- **Cart total** if the customer must still spend $100 after their discounts. This protects your margin during big sales.

Both conditions count only the items. Shipping never counts. Compare-at ("was") prices aren't discounts, so both use the price the customer is actually paying.

## Set it up

1. In the app, click **Create Shipping Discount**. Under **Discount method**, choose **Automatic discount**, and enter a **Title** such as "Free shipping over $100".
2. In **Conditions**, click **Add condition**. It starts with **Cart total**.
3. To count before discounts, open the condition menu and choose **Cart subtotal**. To count after, keep **Cart total**.
4. Set **Is at least** and enter `100`.
5. In **Discount setup**, set **Delivery type** to **Shipping**, **Which rates** to **All shipping rates** and **Discount value** to **Free**.
6. Under **Combinations**, keep **Product discounts** and **Order discounts** ticked. Otherwise a customer with a code gets only one of the two discounts.
7. Click **Create discount**.

## Variations

- **Only some products count, before discounts:** use **Cost of items from collection (subtotal)**, and pick a collection of the products that should count.
- **Only some products count, after discounts:** use **Cost of items from collection (total)**. It subtracts product and order discounts, so a $110 basket with 20% off counts as $88.
- **Free shipping with some codes but not others:** keep **Cart subtotal**, and leave **Shipping discounts** unticked under **Combinations** on the codes that shouldn't come with free shipping.
- **A lower threshold after discounts:** use **Cart total Is at least 90**, so a $110 cart with 20% off ($88) still misses out but a $115 cart ($92) qualifies.

## Good to know

- **To make a code combine with free shipping**, open the code in Shopify admin under **Discounts** and tick **Shipping discounts** under **Combinations**. Both sides must allow it. Shopify's guide to [combining discounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-combinations) shows where the settings are. See [keep free shipping with discount codes](/guides/keep-free-shipping-with-discount-codes.md).
- **To count tax the way your prices show it**, do nothing. If your prices include tax, tax is counted. If tax is added at checkout, it isn't.
- **To avoid a cent-perfect match**, use **Is at least**, not **Is equal to**.
- **To set a different amount per currency**, enter fixed amounts for Cart total or Cart subtotal, such as USD 100 and GBP 80. Otherwise the amount converts automatically.
- **To check both cases**, turn on **Test mode**, check out with the shipping first name `ABC123`, and try the same cart with and without your code.

## Related

- [Keep free shipping when customers use a discount code](/guides/keep-free-shipping-with-discount-codes.md)
- [Free shipping over $100](/guides/free-shipping-over-100.md)
- [What Shopify's free shipping discount can't do](/shopify-free-shipping-limits.md)
- [Conditional free shipping on Shopify](/conditional-free-shipping.md)

[Install RM: Advanced Free Shipping from the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/better-free-shipping).